Broadway is my Beat
by Valkyrie Celes
Summary: A series of AU drabbles using titles of Broadway musical songs. All Senshi, all Generals, all pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**Out Tonight**

Midnight, in New York: The streets were filled to the brim. Meaningless faces, abrupt encounters, hidden identities, all things she thrived on. Armed with some killer heels, a dress to die for, and a purse full of cash, Aino Minako was ready to take advantage of her two week vacation in the large city.

She shifted through the sea of people, the lights in the club making her golden tresses shimmer like sunlight. Moving like lightning, twirling from dance partner to dance partner, she was never intent on staying with one man for too long.

A strong arm grabbed the woman as she was just about to switch to another dancer nearby. She cocked a golden eyebrow at the intruder.

"Leaving so soon?" the man asked. "I was hoping we could dance a bit longer."

"Sorry. Not here for the long term. Gotta get what I can before it's gone," she winked.

"How mysterious. May I ask why?"

A feather light kiss was her reply. Shocked, the man released her. With another wink, Minako moved onto her next dance partner.

In another hour or two, she moved to another club, and another, and another…not stopping until the sun began to rise.


	2. Good and Evil

**Good and Evil**

The city never slept. Rei didn't either. How could she, with what she saw day in and day out. Specters haunted her at every turn: their auras stifling, suffocating among the uproarious noise of the din. At times, it was too hard to bare, and others, far too easy to indulge. After all, what was a specter, if not a mirror image of yourself?


	3. Light my Candle

**Light my Candle**

Two days left. That was all Minako had left in the big city, and she was determined to make the best of it. She had a feeling lounging on a bench in Central Park wasn't even close to exploring as much of New York as she could, but Minako was out of touristy ideas. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to find in the park, but she certainly wasn't expecting to find him.

"Got a light?"

Her eyes met those of the stranger who stopped her at that dance club only days before. She hadn't noticed how green his eyes were, or how silver his hair, or how intently he was looking at her until he leaned forward, the tip of his cigarette pointing upwards. Minako raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I do. But seriously, smoking? In this day and age?"

"I'm not the one with the lighter."

"I'm not the one with the disgusting habit. And it was a gift from a friend."

"Strange gift to give to a non-smoking friend," he flicked some ash to the ground. "What else are you going to use a lighter for?"

"My friend's a bit of a pyro."

The silver haired stranger pinned her with a look. He took a drag from his cigarette, then threw the remaining butt into a trash can.

"Oh."

Minako laughed. He smiled in turn.

"Is that dyed?" she motioned to his hair. "It's a really unique color."

"If only. Sadly, it's all authentic."

"I like it. Looks good on you."

He quirked an eyebrow.

"You're joking."

"I'm not!" she chuckled. "On most people, it'd look tacky. But you carry it well, Mister…"

"Kenta," he held out a hand. Minako shook it.

"Japanese? What are the odds. I'm visiting from Tokyo."

"For how long?"

"Let's see. I have about 2 more days here, I think."

Kenta pulled on her hand gently. Minako tried to hide her surprise as they began to walk down the street.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You're not going to waste the rest of your trip just sitting in Central park, are you? Allow me to show you some of the city before you leave."

"You're a stranger!"

"Good enough to dance with, but not good enough to explore with? I see how it is."

Minako pulled her hand out of his. She stopped, and pulled out a red lighter, handing it over.

"Didn't you need a light?"

"Right," Kenta's face fell. He took the lighter, and lit a new cigarette.

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments, Kenta smoking, and Minako twiddling her thumbs. She glanced at him from under her lashes and grinned slyly. Her mind made up, she took his free hand.

"Why not. You only live once, right? I want this vacation to go out with a bang!"

The blond half dragged the man down the street. Chuckling, he pulled himself from her grasp and walked alongside her.

"Minako."

"Hm?"

"My name is Minako."

Kenta handed the lighter back to the woman and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Minako. Now why don't we go paint this city red."

The duo danced, and dined, and laughed, enjoying each other's company until the wee hours of the morning. When it was time for Minako to catch her flight, Kenta took her to the airport. Before entering the building, she pulled him close and kissed him.

"If you're ever in Tokyo, look me up. We can paint the town red, Aino style," she winked, flashing him a V for victory with her hands.

"I'll have to be in Tokyo sooner rather than later, then," he gave her a quick peck on the lips.

Minako flipped her hair over her shoulder and giggled. Without another word, she vanished into the mass sea of people making their way into the airport.

Kenta watched her until she disappeared from sight. As soon as he knew she wasn't looking, he pulled out his phone and began to look up flight prices from New York, to Tokyo.


	4. Easy as Life

**Easy as Life**

Usagi knew this was the end, but she didn't want to admit it. They were all going down different paths, different walks of life: Makoto to her fancy cooking school, Ami to her medical college in America, Rei on a pilgrimage, and Minako to who knows where – and here she was, boring old Usagi, going to Tokyo University because it was one of the few Universities that would accept her after her high school career of barely scraping by. Instead of voicing all of her concerns to her friends, she did what she did well: Hid her doubts behind her smile, and threw a going away party for all of them. She put her all into this party: Getting everything color coordinated for all of the girls, begging her Papa to give her enough money for amazing party favors, and renting out the best banquet hall Tokyo had to offer.

It seemed to work, because all of them were having the fun she was expecting them to have. Never mind the smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes, never mind the laughter that wasn't as bright. They all were having fun at this event, and no amount of anxious gestures, or downtrodden glances were going to convince her otherwise.

The party came to an end – far earlier than Usagi would have liked – and they all agreed to meet at her house the next morning so they could all drive to the airport, to see Ami off. One animated conversation later, they all were waving goodbye, and Usagi plastered a smile wide enough on her face for it to hurt.

When she was sure they all had left, the light instantly drained from her face. Her shoulders slumped, and she walked inside to make sure every organizer was paid for their services. She knew this was rather destructive behavior, but at this point, she didn't care: It made her friends happy, and that was what was most important to the blond.

When Usagi got home, she crawled into her bed not even bothering to take off her clothes. She cried silent tears, thumbing through all of the pictures of the five of them together that they had taken all through junior High, and high school. She placed her photo album down, wiped her eyes and threw the blanket over her head. Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed herself enough to fall into a restless sleep.

Yes, this wasn't healthy, by any means: But it was far easier than any alternative. She knew she'd get over it, eventually. At least, she hoped she would.


	5. Everything Else

**Everything Else**

Pages turned in a text book in the wee hours in the morning. Far too early for anyone to be up, but there she was at 3 AM, thumbing through her text books. Memorizing one equation here, another there: Her transformation pen sitting as a bookmark on another page. Weary, her eyes focused on the blue crystal, trying to make her mind focus on the natural cadence of its inner workings. But it was no use. All she could think of, was the blood she had washed off of her hands only half an hour earlier.

Ami breathed heavily, her hands gripping the sides of her desk. She tried, and failed, to steady her breathing as the flashes of battle, and civilian cries echoed through the night. Her eyes stared unfocused at the page of calculus before her. Another cry, another flash of red in her mind's eye, and the images faded to nothing more than a bad memory.

Her delicate fingers picked up a pen, then began to write. The familiar rhythm of the gesture calmed her further, as her mind began to focus once again on the task at hand. She wrote and wrote, until the equations were memorized, and her mind was numb.

And everything else went away.


End file.
